SF Cyclotouring

1/31/2010

This water is much deeper than it might first appear. Especially when you are trying to ride through it. And then you miss the curb cut, and end up precariously close to snagging your front wheel on the sewer grate. Which forces you to panic stop. And then you can't get your damn foot unclipped from the pedal. And you fall over, directly into the water, landing on your right hip. The water entirely covered my right hip and leg, right arm, and most of the bike's drive train. So yeah, it is deep! Fortunately most of me dried out within the next few hours, save for my right shoe, which remained squishy throughout the ride.

For all the crap I carry along on rides, I was very thankful to have a 2nd pair of gloves. But I really wanted a dry pair of socks!

1/26/2010

All of us at TechShop are very excited to announce that we have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with the Hearst Corporation to lease the 15,500 square-foot building at 924 Howard Street (at the intersection of Howard and 5th) in downtown San Francisco so we can build and open the first TechShop location in San Francisco! The building has its own parking lot, and it is just 1 block from the Moscone Center, 3 blocks from the Powell Street BART station, and 6 blocks from Union Square. The location is very convenient to people in San Francisco, as well as those living in the East Bay thanks to the quick BART access.

But We Need Your Help! This is not a done deal yet. In order for us to sign the binding 5-year lease and begin construction, we first need to receive pledges from you and all the other people in San Francisco that you will pitch in and help in one or more of these five ways:Pledge to Become a Lender ($25,000 or More)Pledge to Buy a Lifetime Membership ($5,000)Pledge to Become a Monthly Member ($99/mo Auto-Pay)Pledge to Make a Donation ($25 or More)Pledge to Volunteer Your Time for Demolition and Build-Out

Make Your Pledge Right Now We are only taking pledges at this time...we will start collecting money when we are sure there is enough support to make this project successful. To pledge, please send email right now to "sfpledges@techshop.ws" and indicate how you would like to pledge to help open TechShop San Francisco. Please include your name, ph! one number, and email address.

Tell Your Friends About TechShop San Francisco, and Ask Them To Help Too Please tell all your friends about TechShop San Francisco and urge them to help pitch in with their pledge too. You can forward this email to them, or email them the link to the information page at www.techshop.ws/tssf.html.

What Happens with TS SF if We Don't Reach Our Pledge Goals? All indications show that there is very strong demand for TechShop in San Francisco, so I am sure we will receive enough pledges in each category to proceed. However, if we don't receive enough pledges in each category, we will be forced to withdrawl the Letter of Intent and postpone the opening of TechShop San Francisco, and try again at some later date. If you want to see TechShop San Francisco open this summer, I urge you to please make your pledge today and don't wait!

1/02/2010

Point Reyes Station Ride. A most-excellent first ride of the new year! Met up with a few friends from KOG/iBOB/Flickr: Esteban, Aaron, Bradley, Cyclofiend, and Adam for a ramble out to Point Reyes Station. Bumped into One Happy Cog (aka Franc) at Bovine. The big distance kinda hurt, but I did and felt better than expected overall, given my lack of riding and recent butt problems. Rattle from the bike's front rack appears to be resolved, per the recent fix (loose rivet). 87 miles, 9am to 6:30pm